AMBAR Restaurant, Capitol hill

"With unlimited small plates ($36.99) plus an additional $12.99 for bottomless cocktails, Ambar’s Balkan brunch is one of the loveliest deals in town. Dishes include Balkan sliders with grilled pork neck; crispy cheese pie with roasted pepper cream and yogurt; sudzuk beef flatbread with smoked beef sausage, sheep milk cheese, and truffle oil; veal soup, plus spreads and charcuterie. There are traditional mimosas, but flavors like mango hibiscus and peach lavender make the weekend glow. Brunch runs on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An additional D.C. location recently landed in Shaw." - Tierney Plumb, Stephanie Carter, Emily Venezky

"Restaurateur Ivan Iricanin’s flagship Balkan restaurant got a renovation during the pandemic to the tune of a $3 million upgrade. Go for kebabs, brunch, and rakia. Ambar crowds swell on weekends for the all-you-can-eat brunch menu." - Tim Ebner, Missy Frederick, Tierney Plumb

"People love the Balkan restaurant Ambar so much they had to put a hard cap on the time guests can spend there (120 minutes). And for good reason: You can put away a lot of mezze in that time. The menu is $50 per person, no matter how much or how little you eat. Everything is just a few bites, so you can try a bit of everything—though if you’re like us, you’ll want two orders of the black and white, sesame-coated halloumi. Wash it down with some rakia, a classic Balkan spirit made from distilled fermented fruits like pears and pomegranates. Like a lot of the restaurants on Barracks Row, the inside of Ambar looks a little faded, which is probably why most people opt for outdoor seating or an upstairs booth." - madeline weinfield

"Do the words “unlimited brunch” bring tears of joy to your eyes? Look no further than Ambar, an essential DC brunch spot where the plates don’t stop coming ‘til you tell them to. While some bottomless brunch places can let a little too loose, Ambar manages to strike a balance between a great value and an atmosphere‘s just lively enough. Prices vary by location: at the Capitol Hill outpost (our favorite), the unlimited menu is $36.99 per person and an additional $12.99 each for never-ending beverages. The menu includes lots of Balkan-inspired dishes—we usually start with the beet tzatziki, beef prosciutto benedict, and cinnamon sweet truffle sourdough, paired with Nutella or jam and drizzled with powdered sugar. " - mekita rivas, omnia saed, tristiana hinton

"The Deal: $36.99 for unlimited brunch plates, plus $12.99 for bottomless drinks The food at Ambar is fantastic, but the real reason to drop into the Balkan spot in Capitol Hill is for the relaxing atmosphere. Our anxiety drops two notches within minutes of sitting down, even with the wait staff zipping up and down the stairs making more deliveries than Amazon Prime. Bottomless small plates make their way from the downstairs kitchen, while three flavors of endless mimosas are free-flowing from pitchers circling the dining room. Don’t leave without trying the cheese pie and the grilled steak." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed